Drones have started to be used for monitoring energy infrastructure at Samruk-Energo JSC. Specialists also use artificial intelligence technologies to analyze the results obtained, the press service of the Ministry of Energy of the republic stated.
New digital solutions allow for the automation of inspections of power lines, transformers, chimneys, coal storage facilities, and hydraulic structures.
AI automatically analyzes the data received, identifies defects at an early stage, and provides recommendations for their elimination. The department emphasized that the use of UAVs for monitoring reduces inspection time by up to 10 times. Chimney inspections, which usually take several days, are completed in a couple of hours. This also eliminates risks for personnel during high-altitude work.
Aeromonitoring is useful for controlling coal reserves. Aerial photography data is used to create 3D models of warehouses, and AI calculates the remaining volume with an accuracy of up to 99%. This takes no more than 20 minutes.
Another area for digital control is the monitoring of hydraulic structures. The results of thermal imaging help detect structural integrity violations and reduce the risk of accidents.